Auntie Joy arrives to take Howard home because his mother, Christie, had "something to do." At the club, coworkers gush over the boy's strength while Christie, who raises Howard alone and splits day and night shifts, watches and admits she already misses him. After refusing a late drink and declining advances, the manager offers to help set her up. Her phone then rings: someone says, "I'll be at Yates Group in half an hour." Christie panics—she never picked Howard up and is scared to face him. She bolts as the manager calls, torn between the child and the sudden meeting.